Page 3 of Knight's Fall

“What the ever-loving hell did he just do?” She barely realized she said the question aloud, but it didn’t matter since no one was around to hear her.

Shifting from one foot to the other, she looked at her garbage can then at her window then at the back door Sexy Neighbor went through and then again at her garbage can.

Another breeze blew by, and her feet moved before her brain registered her decision. She could no longer stand how she smelled or how awful she must look. She needed that shower now, and she wasn’t waiting anymore.

She was to the property line where their backyards joined when Sexy Neighbor came back out. He swaggered past her without a word and stopped at her back door. He dropped to one knee, and she could tell he was doing something to the door. Curiosity drove her to move closer, but she couldn’t get a clear angle to see exactly what he was up to.

Suddenly, the doorknob released, and he pushed against the wooden frame so it would swing open. He rose in one smooth motion, and she saw the tools in his hand. She’d seen enough movies to know he held lock picking tools.

“Oh my soul. That’s wonderful. I should learn how to do that. In case this ever happens again. That could come in very handy. Oh, I don’t mean to break into houses to steal things, but…well, you know what I mean.” She stopped talking abruptly when the smirk twisted his lips.

“Or you could make a spare key.”

She blushed again. “Yeah, well, I can’t do that, but that’s a long story. I won’t bore you with that. But uh, thanks. You know for breaking into my house. Oh and for catching me when I fell.” She stepped around him, careful not to brush up against him. “I really need to go, and I know you have work to do. You know, to finish your deck, which is looking great, by the way. Good job. So uh, okay. Oh, and don’t bother with my garbage can. I’ll move it back later. Thanks again, and goodbye.”

Flashing a bright smile, she shut the door in his face. Turning, she closed her eyes and sank back against the door.

“Good job, Court,” she murmured. “You went from him not knowing who you are to him thinking you’re crazy and a ditz. Way to make a first impression.”

She stepped further into her kitchen, stopping to collect some baking soda and lemon juice. Then she walked into her bathroom and spent the next hour scrubbing her hair and body, hoping it was enough to erase the odor and maybe some of her embarrassment.

Courtlyn stepped from the shower into a cloud of billowing steam. Her skin glowed red from the hot water that had started to cool before she turned it off. Wrapping one towel around her body and another around her hair like a turban, she walked to the mirror over her bathroom sink and used her wrinkly fingers to wipe the fog from the glass. She paused long enough to take a deep breath, relieved when all she smelled was the citrusy scent from her shampoo and conditioner.Good riddance to the skunk funk.

Deciding not to let her skunk misadventure dampen her day of pampering, she took time to moisturize before exchanging her towel for a fluffy terrycloth robe. She grabbed a bottle of lavender nail polish and padded on bare feet through her bedroom into the living room. The chair and matching ottoman in her living room provided the best spot for her to paint her toenails, and she was looking forward to the pedicure even if it was a do-it-yourself task.

It took her several moments to register the pounding coming from the front of her house. At first, she wondered who could possibly be banging on her door but realized the noise wasn’t coming from a knock at her door. Placing the nail polish on a side table, she scurried over to peer through her thin curtains into the front yard.

Her breath caught in a startled gasp as she stared the broad shoulders and sculpted back, the muscles rippling with each powerful movement. The low-riding jeans were pulled tightly across an ass she could bounce a quarter off of. From his position on his knees beside her landing, he could lean forward at just the right angle, and the gap at his waistband would open just enough for her to see…

Wait! What is Sexy Neighbor doing to my house?

Curiosity overruled her awkwardness. She threw open the front door and stepped out to glare down at Sexy Neighbor’s head, forgetting she wore only her robe and a towel on her head. Her fingers twitched as her eyes locked on his man bun, and she wondered what it’d be like to see his tresses fall down to his shoulders and run her fingers through the thick locks. Or to feel the scratchiness of his beard as she caressed it with her palm.

She shook her head to return her focus to the matter at hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”

She had to raise her voice for it to carry over the hammering. Sexy Neighbor gave no indication he’d heard her, but she was certain he had. He ignored her and continued to hammer at the board on the side of the landing.

“Will you answer me, for Grandma’s sake? What are you doing?”

After one final powerful swing, he dropped the hammer into the toolbox beside him before standing. His movements were deliberate, and Courtlyn felt like she was watching a low-budget porn film. The handyman getting all sweaty from his manly work only to be distracted by seeing the lonely, horny housewife in nothing but a bathrobe. He undresses her with his eyes, and then...

Holy shitstorm!She was standing in front of Sexy Neighbor in her bathrobe and unattractive towel turban.

She could feel her cheeks heating, but before she could make an ungraceful retreat, he reached into his jeans pockets and held something out to her. Staring at his long fingers, she couldn’t see what he held, and she was hesitant to reach out for whatever it was.

“Take it.” His deep voice washed over her, the tone not quite as loud as when she first heard him speak. “It’s your key.”

Her eyes snapped up to his face, staring at him in wonder. “My key? But how—”

He shrugged. “No big deal. Just pried off a couple of planks, reached under to get it and nailed them back. Didn’t take long.”

She blinked away a sudden rush of tears before she could embarrass herself even more in front of this perfect man. Holding out her hand, she waited for him to drop the key into her palm.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, unable to look back in his face in case she lost her nerve. The man was handsome and a hard worker and totally sweet, and she was melting into an awkward puddle of mush right in front of him. “That was very nice. I appreciate this so much.”

“No big deal,” he repeated. He picked up his toolbox, and with a nod of farewell in her direction, he walked back around the side of her house.

As she stood on her landing, her towel turban shifted to the side, and her robe caused her to sweat in the summer morning heat. She noticed none of that as she stared at her house key resting in her palm. After months of lusting after Sexy Neighbor, her one interaction with him involved him rescuing her from her own bizarre luck — twice.

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